Crystal M. Hayes, Ph.D., MSW

Dr. Crystal M. Hayes is a social worker, educator, reproductive justice scholar, and prison-based doula whose work advances equity, dignity, and human rights through scholarship, teaching, community engagement, and professional leadership. Her research and practice examine the intersections of reproductive justice, incarceration, maternal health equity, social policy, and social work education, with particular attention to how systems shape reproductive autonomy, family well-being, and opportunities for healing and liberation.

Dr. Hayes is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Social Work at Sacred Heart University, where she teaches in the MSW and Ph.D. programs and mentors emerging scholars and practitioners. Her teaching is grounded in a competency-based framework that encourages students to critically engage social problems, connect theory to practice, and develop the skills necessary to advance justice-centered social work.

Her scholarship focuses on reproductive justice, pregnancy, incarceration, maternal health, abolition, and social work education. She has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, with work appearing in journals including the American Journal of Public Health, Women & Criminal Justice, and the Journal of Social Work. She is an invited contributor to the forthcoming Sage Reproductive Justice Encyclopedia, where she will author the entry on Pregnancy Justice and co-author the entry on Doula care for pregnant people in custody. Her scholarship is informed by both rigorous inquiry and direct practice experience, bridging academic knowledge and community-based expertise.

Dr. Hayes is the founder and co-director of the National Collaborative for Reproductive Justice, Innovation, and Political Education in Social Work (NCRJI-SW), a national partnership with Rutgers University. Through webinars, scholarship, advocacy initiatives, professional development opportunities, and collaborative research projects, the Collaborative brings together educators, students, practitioners, and community advocates committed to advancing reproductive justice within social work education, research, policy, and practice.

Her leadership and service have been recognized through multiple honors, including the Sacred Heart University Action for Social Justice Dorothy Day Award and the Social Impact Scholar Award. In addition to her scholarship and teaching, she serves in faculty governance and doctoral mentorship roles, supporting curriculum innovation, professional development, and the next generation of social work scholars.

Outside of academia, Dr. Hayes has worked as a prison-based doula and childbirth educator, supporting pregnant people navigating incarceration and other challenging circumstances. This work continues to shape her understanding of care, justice, and human dignity, reminding her that meaningful change begins in relationships grounded in respect, compassion, and collective responsibility.

When she is not teaching, writing, or organizing, she can often be found either in full glam or on a hiking trail with her pit bull—sometimes both. A woman of contradictions, she loves red lipstick and fresh air, scholarly debates and pumpkin patches. She finds beauty in the balance between softness and strength, theory and lived experience, and glitter, glam, and grit.